Adelaide to
Aberavon Beach
P LUS //
Bryan Gunton on making magic
Tony Worsley with his memories of 9/11
and all your regular features and latest news

The official
magazine of

C R E D I T S

Published by:

Editor:

Design & E-book creation:

huw@huwjohns.co.uk

hello@hoodoodesign.co.uk

Huw Johns

Gwilym Cox

Proofreader:

Susi Cernoch

susi@cernoch.co.uk

Advertising: Lynne Orton - A limited amount of
advertising will be available in future issues
All enquiries: www.biznetwales.co.uk
Tel: 01639 793580
Issue number 16

The Handshake is the official magazine of The
Business Network and is published electronically
every 3 months.
Copies are sent to all Business Network members
and other selected individuals within the business
community. To request a regular copy email:
lynne@biznetwales.co.uk

L Y N N E ’ S
F O R E W O R D

F E A T U R E

TRICKY
BUSINESS

Wow!! December already! Where has the year gone? This last quarter
has been particularly busy for The Business Network with our Business
Exhibition & Meet the Buyer event in early October and then our 3rd
Annual Awards Evening at the fantastic New House Hotel on 26th
October. Congratulations to all the winners of our awards, you will
find photos of both these events later in the magazine. During the last
three months we have also launched our Cardiff Rise & Shine breakfast
meetings adding to our ever expanding networking portfolio and we
now offer 13 events a month.

PAGES //

#4-5

So, it’s almost the end of another busy year – how have you found
2012? Have you made plans to grow your business next year? Is
networking part of those plans?

F E A T U R E

No matter what business you have – it could be an exciting, innovative,
cutting edge, never been done before business – if no-one knows about
it then it can’t grow. Awareness is everything. So how do you create
that awareness? By advertising, marketing and networking.

PAGES //

# 10 - 11
F E A T U R E

I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New
Year. If you decide to take part in any networking groups in 2013
hopefully you’ll give The Business Network a try too.

www.biznetwales.co.uk

/ /

Tragedy, Territorials
and Technology

Of course, there is more to networking than just turning up to events.
Being aware of who is in the room is important. Asking pertinent
questions to find out whether their wider network of connections
could be valuable to you is almost mandatory. Taking time to nurture
relationships is vital – never, ever, write anyone off, as you don’t know
who they may know.

So, lots of things to consider when we move towards a New Year, but
one thing I think we will all agree on is that no business can afford to sit
still and not look forward (or even worse - look backwards).

/ /

Adelaide to
Aberavon

Of course I would say that networking is important wouldn’t I? But
I genuinely believe that networking properly is a very important
business skill. What do I mean by networking properly? Well, selecting
the right network for you is a great start. What time of day is it? Are
there regular meetings? Is there always the same core of people there
with a constant flow of new guests? Does it suit your personality and
business? Is it corporate membership? Does it have flexible payment
plans to help you plan your budget? What is the structure? Is there
any structure? Are there any other benefits other than the regular
meetings?

Following up on those you’ve met is a powerful routine to adopt
and delivering on your promises – whether they are contact details
or advice or arranging a meeting – is absolutely paramount….your
credibility is important to you and to others, after all if people can’t rely
on you to send them some information, why would they believe that
you could deliver on a service or sale?

//

PAGES //

#14 - 16
OT HE R

ART ICL ES

/ /

TONY ON TECH
By Anthony Worsley

#6

RECIPE
By Linda

#17

JUST A THOUGHT:
By Beverly Jones

#7

DRIVE TIME
Sytner BMW

#18-19

BOOK REVIEW:
By Susi Cernoch

#7

I DIDN’T KNOW YOU
COULD DO THAT

#20-21

DARWIN’S LAW:
By Stephen Thompson

#8

BIZ Bites

#22-24

GIZMOS ETC:
By James Daniel

#9

NEW MEMBERS

#25-27

THE DEL TORTO
DIARIES

#12

DIARY DATES

#28

HR BITES:
By Clare Bowen

#13

PHOTO GALLERY
Exhibition & Awards

#30-31

#3

Tricky
Business
By Huw Johns

I realised that I’d built up enough confidence
to go off-piste and involve my audience more.
At the time I thought of it as a sort of ‘jazz style’
– improvising according to the mood and the
people. I began to experiment...

#4

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Close-up magician Bryan Gunton has entertained a long list of celebrities
including Heston Blumenthal and Professor Brian Cox. Up until a few years
ago, the well-known magician was an Aircraft Engineer in the RAF, as Huw
Johns finds out…
“Yes, I was doing a charity gig about three and half
years ago, and Heston Blumenthal and Raymond
Blanc were on the table,” Bryan confirms. “It was
going well until we got to Jimmy Tarbuck. He
snatched the cards away from me and shuffled
them at an inopportune moment. I was lost. My
usual routine had gone out of the window. So I
was forced to improvise. Luckily, things worked
out well, and Jimmy and the others were very
complimentary. From then on my magic began to
take a new direction,” Bryan explains.
“I realised that I’d built up enough confidence to go
off-piste and involve my audience more. At the time
I thought of it as a sort of ‘jazz style’ – improvising
according to the mood and the people. I began to
experiment,” he says enthusiastically.
The experiment paid off and Bryan’s performances
went up a notch. He involved the audience and
gave them a genuine choice. They picked the cards.
They held the cards. There was nothing rigged. The
result was that the audience members were even
more flabbergasted with the end result as they had
been instrumental in the trick themselves.
Bryan Gunton’s love of magic began when he was
a child. Dyslexic, he struggled to understand the
instructions to his Paul Daniels Magic set, so he just
worked it out. He says that he believes his dyslexia
gave him a greater ability to solve problems.

“I joined the RAF and
became an aircraft
engineer. I got quite
good at aircraft drawings
and I found the job
pleasant as I was always
solving problems,”
he says.

The downside, though, was the amount of time he
had to spend in hotels around the world. To pass
the time he and his colleagues would play cards,
www.biznetwales.co.uk

and Bryan began to show them some tricks. With
lots of spare time to practise, he quickly became
pretty good and joined a magic club in the UK to
help him learn more.
With service
retirement
looming, Bryan
took advantage
of an RAF
resettlement
course. While
many of his peers
were opting
for courses in
plumbing or I.T.,
Bryan managed
to secure a
3 day magic
course in Las Vegas - no doubt aided by his regular
performances at various Officers’ Mess! While he
was there, Bryan met David Copperfield and was
tutored by world class magician Jeff McBride. It
was a huge confidence-booster and it made Bryan
realise that his second career was going to be in
magic, when he left the RAF.
He became a full time professional in 2008 and
soon added mind-reading, memory classes,
corporate exhibition work and pick-pocketing to his
repertoire.
His most memorable moments include accidentally
leaving an event with someone’s watch with him
after a pick-pocketing demonstration, only to
realise and return it to the guest without them
knowing. The biggest highlight was performing on a
table of six Michelin star chefs.
Bryan’s greatest critic is his 13 year old daughter. No
trick makes it into a routine without her approval.
If it gets past her – it’s in. You’d think she’d approve
of a Dad who entertains celebrities, reads minds
and amazes audiences, but bizarrely, she thinks it’s
“uncool”.
Email Bryan: info@bryangunton.co.uk
#5

Hi everyone and welcome to the Tony on Tech column!
Over the forthcoming issues I will be reviewing some of the
latest and greatest gadgets as they are announced.

Is it all about Mobile Apps or is it
the Internet?
Mobile Apps! What do you use them for?
How many do you have?
Research firms are predicting that revenue from
mobile search and discovery will skyrocket to £7.5
billion by 2017, nearly three times the expected
revenues for 2012. Reports also found that mobile
search and discovery, including web search, local
search and discovery apps, enjoys some of the highest
click-through-rates and cost-per-click rates in mobile
advertising.
The future is all about mobile, so what is fuelling this
obsession?
Perhaps it’s because a large proportion of people own
at least one mobile device!!
As of June 2012 it is expected that 50% of the UK
population will own a smartphone. With tablets
becoming more available and affordable, UK
ownership has increased from just 2% in 2001 to 11%
with 17% planning to purchase one this year.

IN-STORE MOBILE USE
In-store mobile users are not just casually browsing
the web with a smartphone; owners on their most
recent shopping trip were increasingly using a
3rd-party mobile shopping application or retailer’s
dedicated app. Significantly, in-store conversion rates
among shoppers that used a retailer’s dedicated app
was higher compared to those that did not.

LOCATION-BASED MOBILE APPS
A recent survey of marketers found that mobile is the
new marketing focus. Survey respondents reported
that this was their first year using mobile, and others
planned to start using it in the near future. Location
based apps are especially hot, with marketers
expecting to employ them in the next year.

#6

MARKETING TAKEAWAY
As mobile device usage becomes continues to
increase, users will become increasingly reliant on
mobile search and discovery. This of course means
that mobile ad space on various search and discovery
platforms becomes a more lucrative proposition.
Aside from local
search apps, retail
or merchant apps
will become more
ubiquitous in the
next few years as
well. Anyone who
has tried to perform
a general web
search on a mobile
device knows that
it is not a userfriendly process,
often taking forever
to type in a query,
and then sift
through an endless stream
of results. Mobile apps, on the other hand, are better
able to target specific actions, providing a simpler and
more-relevant user experience.
As business owners, this is well worth investigating
and thinking about how mobile apps can fit into your
current and future marketing plans, whether it is by
advertising on them, building them for your brand, or
both - after all, social media has dedicated apps, and
look what happened there!
Eventually, and sooner than we realize, mobile apps
will be everywhere, driving the future of the Internet.

See you next time.

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Article by:

Beverley Jones
A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a cousin of
mine about how life these days is so rushed and busy,
where we always seem to be running around in a hurry,
both physically and mentally. It is no surprise to me that,
as a result, stress levels appear to be rising at an alarming
rate.
As we looked back at our parents’ generation we recollected how, as children, our parent’s lives seemed to
run at a steadier pace. There were no social media posts
to keep up with; in fact, there was no phone in the house
until I was in my early teens.
Washing was done by hand, or at least in a twin tub! No
automatics, and there were only four channels on the
TV. There was no credit card debt because there was
no credit, and designer labels were only for the rich and
famous. Surely it is during those times when the stress
levels should have been higher.
I guess we all think that our days are the good ole days
but maybe on this occasion our parents may well in part
be right – maybe less really is more.

As I watch my retired parents outshine me with their
physical energy, I can see how their way of life meant
that you had to be fit to get the work done; there was less
sitting around and less to be stressed about.
Have a think about your good ole days; remember how
it felt when life was calmer and take some time to claim
it back.

Quote of the Month

Happy is the person who knows
what to remember of the past,
what to enjoy in the present, and
what to plan for in the future

SUSI’S BOOK REVIEW

The Gun Seller – Hugh Laurie
Susi reviews her choice of literature in her regular column
Yes, it’s THAT Hugh Laurie; the total plonker George in Blackadder,
and the meanest of doctors in House. But can he really write? Well,
yes, believe it or not, he actually can.
Frankly, I wouldn’t have cared either way; I love the guy and bought
the book on spec. To be fair, I didn’t expect it to be a great work of
literature, and it’s not. But it is a fun, fast, twisty romp of a spy thriller,
surprisingly well constructed, gratifyingly entertaining and distinctly
unique in style.
Thomas Lang, ex-Scots Guard and general layabout, was drifting
along just fine until he was offered a large sum of money to kill a
wealthy businessman. Lang, of course, doesn’t want the job, thanks
awfully, but before he can even open a fresh bottle of Scotch he gets
sucked into a tangled scheme involving dangerous and obscenely
rich arms dealers, amateur terrorist plots, minor foreign dignitaries,
the CIA and a groundbreaking new model of fighter helicopter that
promises tankerloads of money to the government (US, British, both,
who knows?). Oh, and a pretty girl.
Blackmailed on several fronts, Lang is forced to be a bad guy, which
he manages to do pretty well, but not without several layers of guilt
weighing on his conscience and making him determined to find a
way to flip the script (and the bird) on the guys holding the reins.
The plot moves forward at a spanking pace, mainly because Lang
doesn’t know who the good guys are, but then again, neither does
the reader. There were times when I found myself saying, “Hang
about, I thought he was on our side! And what the hell is she doing
helping that guy over there when last night she was snuggling up to
Lang? Ratbag!”
Both plot and characters are soaked in ambiguity. Just when you
think you know what’s going on, you find out you probably don’t.
The reader experiences every shift, twist, and loop right along with
Lang, and his quest for the truth becomes yours as you race towards
the end looking for the way out. All along, you can’t even be sure if
www.biznetwales.co.uk

Lang is a good guy who learned to be bad, or
a bad guy trying to make good, or both.
Neither does Lang, though; he’s just making
it up as he goes along, pulling out his old spy/
special ops skills and flying by the seat of his pants while trying to
stay alive and avert World War III. Some of his moves are downright
stunning - at one point, I almost wanted to sit up and applaud.
Honestly, this novel is a blast! The conversational narrative in the first
person made me picture Laurie, sitting in a plump leather armchair
with a drink at his elbow, just spinning
out this yarn while we relaxed in front of
a fire on a chilly day – not altogether an
unpleasant daydream. Lang is a fantastic
protagonist, just a sort of everyman
with some specially-acquired military
skills who would prefer to mind his own
business, but he also has just a little
more under the surface than you would
expect. The plot double-crosses and
then twists back on itself, but it’s never
too complicated to follow, with just
enough sex and violence thrown in to
spice things up. The dialogue is sharp
and snappy, and the characters are
given the right bit of nuance to make
them interesting without taking over.
I knew Hugh Laurie is an
accomplished comedian, actor and
musician but I had no idea he could
put together such a swiftly–paced,
amusing and enjoyable novel. It isn’t
your run-of-the-mill story-line, and
that certainly adds to the enjoyment, but it’s the quirky
irreverent style that does it for me. There’s nothing like a sardonic,
non-conformist loose cannon for brightening one’s day!

#7

D A RW I N ' S L AW
In his regular look at the law, Steve Thompson, partner at
law firm Darwin Gray, considers cookies…

Q:

Why should you have a shareholders’ agreements?

Most business people will be accustomed to using written
agreements in their work, whether it is a contract for goods,
services, employment or any number of other things. However,
many overlook one of the most important agreements of them all –
the shareholders’ agreement.
If you conduct your business through a limited company, then
the chances are that you will be a director and/or a shareholder
of that company. Directors are responsible for the day-to-day
management of the business and make most of the decisions, but
it is the shareholders that own the company.
Shareholders have the right to intervene in the directors’
management in key situations and to make decisions on major
issues such as changing a company’s articles of association, issuing
new shares and allotting shares to a third party.
The rules of company law generally provide that the will of the
holders of the majority of the voting rights will prevail, leaving
a minority shareholder with limited power to block shareholder
decisions or protect themselves. Company law also offers no
assistance to owners involved in a dispute, which might leave a
company crippled and unable to move forward commercially. A
shareholders’ agreement can be vital in setting out how decisions
will be made, what the parties can and cannot do in their capacity
as shareholders and directors, and most importantly what should
happen when things go wrong or someone wants to leave.
What sort of things can go into a shareholders’ agreement?
Company Management – What will the company’s primary
business be, who will act as directors and who will be chairman
of the board? If the shareholders aren’t acting as directors
themselves, who will have the power to appoint a director? What
will the minimum and maximum numbers of directors be?
Many of these issues are already dealt with in a company’s articles
of association, but a shareholders’ agreement allows you to
go further. For example, if you have minority shareholders – or
shareholders who won’t also be directors – you might want to
protect their position. You could do this by requiring that certain
big decisions, for example changing the nature of the company’s
business, obtaining loan finance or selling/buying large assets,
must be approved by a certain percentage of the shareholders.

place for ongoing members to have the option of buying the shares
first and/or giving the company the option to perform a buy-back
of the shares rather than them being sold to a third party.
A shareholders’ agreement might also provide for various
“obligatory” transfer events. For example, if one of the
shareholders breaches the agreement, or abuses his power as
a director, he would be required to sell his shares to the other
shareholders.
Deadlock – In 50/50 joint ventures there is a serious risk of two
shareholders reaching a deadlock situation, where neither can
agree on how the company should proceed. In these situations, if
it is really impossible for both to continue together and a “getout” is needed, there are various mechanisms with catchy names
– “Russian roulette”, “Texas shootout” and “Mexican shootout”
clauses.
These are just a few of the main areas which a shareholders’
agreement can cover. Without an agreement there is much more
potential for disagreement and litigation if things start to go
wrong. Going into business with other people is a big decision, the
impact of which can last many years; however, opinions, objectives
and business plans never stay the same. Disputes are expensive
and time consuming to resolve and the business you have worked
so hard to build up will inevitably suffer as a result.
A shareholders’ agreement can help you govern your relationship
with your co-shareholders and the company itself, and also help
you maintain a strong relationship, or
amicably sever your business ties if things
do go wrong further down the line.

“Shareholders
have the right to
intervene
in the
directors”

Share Transfers – One of the biggest freedoms in company law is
that a shareholder is entitled to transfer his shares to anyone. This
might not matter in a large company but for smaller businesses
the idea of a third party owning a share of the business and having
voting rights is not always welcomed. A shareholders’ agreement
allows you to retain control over shares by putting a mechanism in

Email Steve: sthompson@darwingray.com
Darwin Gray is a commercial law firm, providing the full range of legal services that businesses and business people require.

#8

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Copywriter James Daniel toys with the best and latest marketing widgets

Many would call HootSuite the rightful
king of the gizmo world. The social media
dashboard that keeps tabs on all your
interactions has become a must-have for
anyone who wants to turn a profit online.

Thread Tracking. Whatever your industry,
it’s important to stay in the loop. So give
HootSuite a choice of keywords and keep
tabs on all the breaking news, opinions,
conversations and other exchanges.

If you’ve never used HootSuite
before (and I confess I hadn’t
until last month) I dare say
you’ll spend your first 10
minutes whispering “Wow!” at
your screen. When you join,
it latches straight onto your
profiles, so it’s only a matter
of minutes before you’ve got
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.
all in one cosy place.

Whether you want to dive into the debate or
just observe from the sidelines, it’s a great
way to filter out all the noise and focus on
relevant updates.

Then you’ll discover all kinds of ways to
manage conversations and stay on top of
threads. Here are my 5 favourite uses:
Scheduling. You don’t want to break off
from an important task just to tweet or
update facebook. And yet, there are peak
times of the day (like just after lunch) when
your followers will be online. The obvious
answer is scheduling.
If you can spare 10-15 minutes at the start
of every day, you can programme in all your
posts so they hit at the right times. And if
you keep an eye on Analytics, you’ll start
to see trends emerging, like which kind of
posts work at which time of day. It’s a quick
way to build up engagement.
Brand Policing. It’s vital to know who’s
saying what about you and your brand - and
HootSuite will show you each conversation
in glorious real time.

True, Google Alerts have been doing
the same thing for many years. But by
comparison, Google is slow to index - so
if you need to respond urgently to some
corporate bad-mouthing (or praise!)
HootSuite gives you the instant alternative.

Prospecting. You can track references to
your profession – tempered with keywords
like “find”, “know” or “recommend”. So
if you’re a plumber and someone tweets
“Anyone know a good plumber?”, they’ll
show up in your newsfeed. Bingo.
How you engage with them is another
matter - a blunt sales message won’t go
down too well in the social arena. But
once the prospect is identified, you’re
free to start the conversation in the most
appropriate way (like offering a free guide
or other such value-add).
Competitor Tracking. Hate your
competitors? Keep an eye on their feeds,
find out who’s following them, and see what
people are saying...then use the intel to
grow your own following, or learn from the
good and bad things you unearth.

So what’s the
recommendation?
We’re only scratching the surface here, so if
you haven’t tried HootSuite yet, it’s best to
give it a whirl and see what it can do for you.
Basic access is free, and you can always
upgrade to all the whistles and bells stuff if
you like what you see.
But whether you’re a casual user or
hardcore social boffin, it’s definitely worth a
shot. I tried it, and I’ll never look back.

James Daniel is a Cardiff-based Copywriter, trading as
EarthMonkey Media Ltd. His free monthly newsletter Monkey
Business is awash with copywriting tips. To register,
go to www.earthmonkey.co.uk.

#9

Adelaide to
Aberavon:
A journey by Gill Hedges

#10

www.biznetwales.co.uk

I moved from sunny Adelaide to sunny Swansea 6 years
ago, as I met and fell in love with a Welshman. Wales is
beautiful, with spectacular landscapes, quaint villages and
with four distinctive seasons. Except that I hate the snow!
In Adelaide I worked in the Tourism / Hospitality
sector, having graduated with a diploma in Travel
and Tourism. Before I left Adelaide to move to Wales,
I worked as Associate Director of Sales for The
Stamford Grand Hotel Adelaide and Stamford Plaza
Hotel Adelaide. The Stamford Grand is similar to
the Aberavon Beach Hotel, being located on one of
Adelaide’s most popular beaches, located 20 minutes
from the CBD of Adelaide, like the Aberavon Beach, a
beautiful blue flag wide sandy beach 20 minutes from
the centre of Swansea.
Adelaide’s Glenelg, like Aberavon, is a vibrant seaside
community that reflects the casual lifestyle and
relaxing atmosphere of life by the sea. With long
sandy beaches, you can enjoy any number of leisure
activities by the sea including bike riding, sailing,
fishing, shopping, cinemas or eating out – just like at
Aberavon!
Afternoon teas are served in the Aberavon Beach
Hotel and at both Stamford Grand and Stamford
Plaza Adelaide, with the Champagne afternoon teas
being the popular choice in Adelaide or Aberavon
Beach.
See, when reading this you don’t know if you are in
Adelaide’s Glenelg beach or Aberavon Beach, as they
are very similar, don’t you think? See the photos
below and see if you can see the similarities….
Stamford Grand Adelaide is located directly on
the beachfront at Glenelg, with 220 guest rooms,
including 29 suites with beautiful ocean or Adelaide
Hills views. Twelve function rooms are available,
from small meetings to large conventions, featuring
balconies with ocean and city views. It’s an ideal
location for weddings, with the Grand Ballroom
offering a seating capacity of up to 500 people.
There’s a fully equipped gymnasium and pool, spa
and sauna. Enjoy à la carte dining and stunning
panoramic views at The Promenade Restaurant. The
Grand Bar, with its polished floors, spacious bar and
ocean views, is the perfect place for lunch or after
work drinks, and Horizons Cocktail Lounge is the
ideal spot to chill out with friends and a cocktail.
Stamford Plaza Adelaide is a 5 star hotel situated
in the heart of the city on Adelaide’s key cultural
boulevard, North Terrace, with views to Adelaide
Oval. The excellent location means that you’re just
a short stroll to the Adelaide Convention Centre,

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Casino, Festival Centre and Rundle Mall shopping,
with the beach (Glenelg) only 20 minutes away doorto-door, via the new tram.
With 334
guest rooms,
including 21
suites, many
have beautiful
views
overlooking
the parklands.
There are
ten elegant
conference
and event rooms, two of which offer natural light and
views of Parliament House; Stamford Plaza Adelaide
Hotel caters for any occasion and any sized group up
to 280.
Best Western Aberavon Beach Hotel is Port Talbot’s
award winning hotel, located directly on the
beachfront of the ‘Blue Flag’ Aberavon Beach.
It has 52 fully refurbished guest rooms, with 4
function rooms available for small meetings or
large conventions in
the Ballroom, and the
Greenhouse restaurant
and the popular Talbot
Bar. The Aberavon Beach
hotel is perfect for
weddings, being located
directly on the beach.
Weddings are popular
at Stamford Grand
Adelaide, offering
beach-front photo
opportunities. The
Aberavon Beach hotel
is also a popular venue
choice for weddings,
offering photo
opportunities on the wide sandy blue flag
beach.

In her regular column, lawyer & HR expert Emma del Torto looks at work and life,
in an attempt to find a balance.

Working Mums
Working mums - a constant dilemma about whether
we are doing the right thing, getting the balance right,
spending enough time baking, being crafty….making
costumes…working
At work I often get involved in the performance management
and appraisals of others. At home I have the opportunity to
reflect on my own performance. My children provide me with
fantastic mirrors and frequent 360 degree appraisals. The older
they get, the better they are at voicing criticism, and praise.
Generally, I regard myself as pretty good mum, but I am sure
that in some respects I might be assessed and found wanting.
My eldest is now twelve. She does lots of extra-curricular
activity, gets decent school reports, is pretty sporty and is, I
think, a delightful child (we are about 6 months away from the
dreaded teens, so watch this space).
I feel that I might have let her down by not being the best at
recommending appropriate reading material. With the cinema
we have some clear guidance as to whether a film is age
appropriate with helpful classification: PG, 12, 12 A, 18. With
books it is a little bit trickier.
When my daughter was in year 6, I gave her Rupert Graves’
I, Claudius to read. She returned from school one day, having
had to read out loud to the teacher. Her poor teacher had to
explain some complicated words to her (including ‘eunuch’,
‘consummation’ and ‘circumcision’). She was mortified. I
had forgotten that the book was full of orgies and incest. My
recollection was that it was a jolly good book that had inspired
my interest in the Romans.
Hot on the heels of that parental faux pas, whilst the nation
was in the grasp of Twilight fever, I thought I had better read
the books before letting her forge ahead. As an ardent Buffy
(the Vampire Slayer) fan, I ooed and gasped my way through
the vampire/werewolf tales and gave it my nod of consent.
After book 2 she told me that life was too short to read such
utter tripe. So, not only could I not get ‘age appropriate’ right,
she then scorned my literary taste. She has given The Hunger
Games the thumbs up. I let her choose her own books now.

#12

She has expressed interest in the other trilogy that has gripped
the entire nation (you know the one I mean - that dull colour
and its various shades). I think she has overheard me tell my
friends that I am on 50 shades of literary boycott. A slightly
petulant stance from me, but at least there is an unambiguous
message to my daughter. Mummy won’t read it and that
means small girl cannot read it either.
Instead of being tickled by tales of Mr Grey, and inspired by
a delightfully entertaining after lunch speaker at the Business
Network’s Exhibition at the Vale in October, I am reading
Howard Marks’ Mr Nice. For the uninitiated, Howard Marks
www.howardmarks.name , originally from Kenfig Hill, was
a marijuana dealer of phenomenal acclaim (also see film
of same title starring the lovely Rhys Ifans). Indeed Marks’
venture clearly marked him out as a captain of international
industry. Anyone who attended the lunch and took part in the
fascinating question and answer session following his talk,
would have been intrigued by the level of financial planning,
strategizing and logistics that went into his business venture.
Although, this book would not make my recommended
reading list for small children or entrepreneurs, it is certainly a
nice escape from reading about performance management
and appraisals.
Just when you think that you have got this parenting thing
sussed, something will happen to challenge your mastery.
I assisted my son to miss his school bus. In hot pursuit, we
both jumped in my car and chased that school bus along the
A48. There may have been some mildly fruity language on my
part (whilst tooting and flashing at the driver to stop him), and
eventually we caught up with the bus. The mothers at that
particular stop looked calm and collected (unlike me). I said
goodbye to my son, slightly concerned about the long term
damage I might have done to him. He looked at me and said,
“This has been the best day of my life; catching the school bus
is never normally so exciting”.
It just goes to show that one woman’s domestic disaster
is a small boy’s delight.

www.biznetwales.co.uk

HR BITES

Wi th JCP Sol i ci tors
Clare Bowen is the Head of HR Services
at JCP Solicitors and provides HR support
to many of the firm’s clients. In this series
of articles, Clare breaks down standard HR
procedures into small and manageable
bite sized pieces of information.

Dealing with Under-performance
Performance management has a significant role to play in enhancing organisational performance, and
it is a staffing issue that nearly every business owner or manager will have to deal with at some point in
their working life.
Performance management is the system you use to align your business goals with the work of your
employees. It should incorporate performance improvement, development and the management of
behaviour in the workplace.
Central to the successful introduction of performance management is clarity over what is meant by
performance and an understanding of your organisation’s expectations.

Central to the successful introduction of performance
management is clarity over what is meant by
performance and an understanding of your
organisation’s expectations.
To ensure that your managers manage effectively, their
teams need to:
•
know and understand what is expected of them
•
have the skills and ability to deliver on these
expectations
•
be supported by the organisation
•
be given feedback on their performance
•
have the opportunity to discuss and contribute
to individual and team aims and objectives.
A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is designed
to facilitate constructive discussion between a staff
member and his or her supervisor and can help to clarify
any area of performance that needs to be improved.

work with the employee to find out why the problem is
occurring.
Although this can be a difficult situation to manage, it is
important that you deal with these situations effectively
and efficiently, so that any impact on your business
is minimal and to ensure fairness with your other
employees.
By introducing PIPs into your workplace, you document
that you have offered a sufficient level of support to
your employee, and, in the event that you are left with
no other option but to dismiss him or her, it will provide
clear evidence to an employment tribunal in rebutting a
potential unfair dismissal claim.
For more information regarding any HR issues, please
contact me, Clare Davies, on 01792 529603 or email me
at clare.davies@jcpsolicitors.co.uk.

A PIP includes clarifying your expectations, stating the
support you will give the employee and specifying the
consequences of not meeting those expectations. You
will also need to address the nature of the problem and
how long it has been going on, and you will need to
Clare Bowen works with clients of JCP Solicitors heading up the Employment
Protection Scheme. This scheme provides employers with all the employment
documents, policies and procedures required by the law. The scheme also
includes unlimited HR and employment advice, backed up by two qualified
Employment Solicitors. There is also an additional option of purchasing an
insurance product to cover the business against any potential claims and
compensation awards.

www.biznetwales.co.uk

#13

Tragedy, Territorials
and Technology

#14

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WHEN THE TWIN TOWERS FELL ON 11TH
SEPTEMBER 2001, TONY WORSLEY’S 28-MAN
NEW YORK TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANCY
ESCAPED WITHOUT HUMAN CASUALTY, BUT
LOST BOTH OF ITS MAJOR CUSTOMERS IN
THE AFTERMATH…
“My first thought was one of terrible sadness for all the
friends we lost. It was horrible. You could see the dust in the
air. You could smell the burning plastic. Our offices were a
mile or so from the Towers, overlooking Carnegie Hall, but it
was just so intense, it felt so close,” Tony remembers bitterly.

“The days and weeks that followed were
ones of mayhem, confusion, searching and
a constant state of emergency. It was all
about the people. Where were they? Who had
perished? Who could still be found?”
he adds hauntingly.
But as the days passed it became clear that despite being
fortunate by having evaded human tragedy, there would
be a commercial toll on Tony’s business because of the
consequences of the terrorist attack. The firm’s two
principal clients were Morgan Stanley – based in Twin Tower
One - and Amex, housed in a neighbouring building. Both
had suffered terrible losses and so had lost touch with their
suppliers and customers.
“The Verizon data centre went down. There was no mobile
signal south of 42nd Street. We lost contact with our
clients. They were in turmoil, communications were down,
the priority was people. Our business began to shrink, to
disappear. Cash was running out. It was untenable. My Visa
was up for renewal – the other partners were American – so
I took the decision to leave and became a silent partner,”
Tony recounts.
Recovering from an ordeal like this could take its toll, but
Tony had fought with the Marines in the Falklands in 1982
and this, along with a few other challenges along the way
had given him an attitude of perseverance and durability.

www.biznetwales.co.uk

#15

A LOT OF THEM WERE JUST KIDS
– 16 OR 17 - MAYBE. THEY WERE
CONSCRIPTS – THEY’D BEEN
DRAFTED, SIGNED UP, THEY HAD
NO CHOICE...

“I come from a military family. My father was a pilot, so I spent my youth being
‘the new kid in school’ as we moved from place to place with Dad’s job. I wanted
to join the RAF, but failed the eyesight test, so I joined the Territorial Army
alongside my day job,”
he explains.

Tony got a short service commission with the Marines between 1979 and 1983 and ended up as a Platoon
Commander. When Argentina invaded The Falklands on April 14th 1982 he was dispatched from Norway to
the Falklands, where he was part of the military force that caused the Argentines to surrender on June 10th
that year. He remembers looking after Prisoners of War.
“A lot of them were just kids – 16 or 17 - maybe. They were conscripts – they’d been drafted, signed up, they
had no choice,” he explains.
After leaving New York City in the wake of 9/11, Tony continued his mobile and technology career with a
senior position with Reach – an outsourced arm of Sony Ericcson. With his partner Catherine, he worked
briefly in Turkey, then moved to Australia, where he recruited and managed a team of 14 across the vast
country. After three years, the busy and stressful life left him hankering after a chance to return to the UK.
When that opportunity came, the couple happily relocated to Britain and moved back to their home in
Swansea.
After a spell working with a Vodafone partner, Tony set up his own consultancy, ANYCommunications, which
specialises in using technology to solve problems for business.
The man who began his working life as a Saturday store assistant in Currys has never shaken off his
obsession with technology. A lifelong, worldwide string of adventures and senior positions that sound more
James Bond than Steve Jobs surely leaves him well placed to advise any business about technology and
mobile communications?
Email Tony: antony@anycomm.co.uk to find out more.
#16

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Recipe

Recipe By:
Linda Harry

The Business Network

Jamie Oliver’s Vodka Melon

-

I1xnMgredediumietonLatsrge sized

Water Melon
- 1x bottle of Vodka
- 1x funnel!

Method
Here’s a little something for Christmas!
Buy a medium to large sized watermelon. It should be firm but ripe. Ideally it will be
slightly flat on one side so that it stays upright in your fridge. Clean the outside with a
damp cloth and then wipe it dry.
Drill or cut a small hole in the top side of the melon. Push the end of a funnel down in
the hole and pour vodka in. Stop pouring when the vodka starts to back up in the funnel. Place the melon in the fridge with the funnel still inside.
Repeat step two until you get all of your vodka in it. Depending on the size of the melon
it should hold a small bottle of vodka. It may take several ‘pouring in’ sessions, but it
will happen.

Slice and enjoy ice cold!

www.biznetwales.co.uk

#17

DRIVE TIME > >

It all started with a lawnmower!!
Lynne happened to mention to Paul Bennett of
Sytner BMW at one of The Business Network
lunches, how fed up I was that I had to take
Lynne’s son Ryan’s petrol lawnmower to be
repaired, as it wouldn’t fit in the back of his 3
series BMW Touring (2006 model) - a note must
be made here that it fits quite easily into the
back of my Ford Focus Estate (2003 model)
Paul could not see how that was correct and offered Lynne a test drive
in a new BMW Touring. As we were going to Betws-y-Coed in North
Wales for a weekend the following month, Lynne gratefully accepted
the offer and, as arranged, Paul dropped off to our door a brand new
BMW 3 series 320d Touring Sport (just 2000 miles on the clock).
We set off on a Friday morning, me, Lynne, my grown up son Sean and
my mother (aged 82 and still not grown up!) and set off not looking
forward to the 4 ½ hour drive. The first thing everyone noticed was how
much space there was inside, in the back as well as in the front and how
comfy the seats were, which really helped as it meant my mum slept
part of the way and didn’t always criticise my driving!

#18

www.biznetwales.co.uk

BMW BMW 3 SERIES TOURING
Reviewed by: Kevin Barry

Car supplied by: Sytner, Cardiff
The 2 litre diesel engine and 6 speed gearbox were more than
adequate for our journey, especially when you consider the car was
4-up with a boot full of luggage (I know we only went for 2 nights
but apparently we didn’t know what the weather was going to be
like so had to take clothes for every eventuality – says Lynne). We
travelled along in 5th gear on the bendy A roads dropping to 4th for
the overtake. It was great to get back to a proper rear wheel drive car. I
enjoy driving Lynne’s MX5 on a Sunday afternoon (but that’s enough!).
I loved driving my Subaru too, but Lynne wrote it off – that’s another
story.
I really could have pushed on much faster and enjoyed myself even
more in this car, particularly with the excellent handling on the
country roads, but with Lynne and my mother in the car I decided it
was best not to!
I’m not really a gadget freak (I only use my iPhone to make phone
calls!). The BMW came with stop/start function (at traffic lights etc);
automatic lights and wipers; rear parking camera and sensors; lights
under the door handles and under the doors; electric rear hatchback;
electric windows all round; leather sports seats with electric adjustable
side bolsters and the list goes on…
I’ve read in motoring magazines that people complain about the
pedals being offset to the steering column, but I found no problem.
The same for the central iDrive unit (information centre) being hard to
use; again, I found it fine.
Before trying it I thought the keyless fob with a start/stop button on
the dashboard was just a gimmick but, to be honest, in the end I quite
liked it.
The rear luggage area had loads (no pun intended) of securing hooks/
eyes etc, an ‘Out of sight’ compartment beneath the floor and, if
needed, the seat backs folded forward with just a flick of a catch
(including head rests) to an almost flat floor area which was really
impressive.
My not likes? Why have a lip of approx. 50mm at the loading edge of
the boot floor which you would then have to lift heavy items over? I
really can’t see the point of the individually opening tailgate window,
when this was manual and the tailgate itself was electric (although it
did look good).
So, on Sunday we set off for home, me, Lynne and my mother – Sean
having gone to stay with a new girlfriend in Wolverhampton! Apart
from a very short coffee break we drove home non-stop in just under
4 hours.
The journey computer read a total of 320 miles for the weekend,
average speed 41mph and 52.3 mpg. Not bad eh? I WANT ONE!
My thanks to Paul and Sytner BMW for the chance to try this lovely car
for a weekend, I personally think that the touring is the best looking
model in the 3 Series range.

www.biznetwales.co.uk

#19

I Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Know
You Could Do That.

by Huw Johns

#20

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Alan James, former I.T. Contractor and now manager of Swansea based John Edwards Funeral
Directors tells The Handshake how more people are opting for bespoke funerals, to reflect
their loved-one’s personality...
Twelve years ago Alan took over John Edwards Funeral
Directors from John Edwards, his father in law. He’d spent
years listening, learning and helping John whenever he
visited Swansea from his home in Essex. Alan says, “I
noticed that, as John was ageing, he was becoming more
tired of running the firm so I decided to offer to take over.
This suggestion was met with a warm hug of gratitude from
John, and within a matter of weeks I was a full time Funeral
Director.”
“Was that it – didn’t you have to go on a course, or
something?” I ask, surprised.
“Not exactly,” Alan replied. “ I’d known the practical side of
the business for over twenty years from my courting days,
and, among other things, had driven hearses, watched
embalming and done my fair share of removals…”
I cut him off there. “Removals? Please explain.”
“Moving the dead person from where they died to our Chapel
of Rest,” he informs me with a grin.

At some funerals, amusing choices of music are made, like
Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and
Arthur Brown’s “Fire” which was the apt choice at a recent
cremation.
The coffin of a marijuana-smoker was adorned with a wreath
made of floral “grass” and a pretend joint. At the cremation,
the deceased was accompanied by £50 of marijuana in his
coffin, at the family’s request. “It’s what he would have
wanted,” they explained to Alan!
Indeed, it is all about what the deceased would have
wanted: A particular shade of pink for the coffin was the
important criteria for a family burying their grandmother
whose favourite colour it was. The solution came in the form
of a Dulux website colour card which Alan had provided,
so that the family could be absolutely precise about the
colour. Embarrassingly, the family made a particular point
of thanking Alan for his help publicly at the funeral and
revealing the story of the Dulux colour chart!

We then talk about Alan’s career in I.T. and his work as a
project manager with BT and other large firms. The subject
turns to outsourcing and I ask if there’s a parallel here with
his Project Manager days and the Funeral Director business,
though perhaps on a different scale.

Alan has also organised a funeral in Paris for a person who,
sadly, died there, as a down-and-out. It was a cheaper option
than a repatriation of the body; so, the family combined the
funeral with a 5 day coach tour of Paris and cremated their
relative while they were there. They went on a tour of the
Père Lachaise Cemetery, where the graves of Oscar Wilde,
Maria Callas, and Jim Morrison can also be seen. On boarding
the coach for their return journey – ashes in tow – they
commented jokingly to the driver that there was “one more”
coming back.

“Yes. We have a core staff of three (including a lady funeral
director). We have a hearse and a limousine but everything
else is outsourced, from flowers to catering. All outsourcing
is project-managed,” he says. “My address book is full of
various suppliers, including lay-preachers, horse drawn
hearses, opera singers, organists and even buglers and
pipers!”

In terms of trends, Alan tells me that nowadays woodland
burials are increasingly popular. These are burials in fields
and meadows where there is no headstone and the precise
location of the grave is not always shown. One enterprising
tree growing company has recently exploited the 10 foot
gaps between their plants by offering them as woodland
burial plots.

Alan goes to on to explain that John Edwards Funeral
Directors is popular because it offers families the option of
having a bespoke funeral that reflects what the deceased
enjoyed about life.

The conversation turns to memorable but more unusual
funerals and as Alan tells me you can now have a motorcycle
funeral, with the coffin in the sidecar. Another option is a
double-decker bus. With the coffin downstairs and the family
on the top deck, the bus tours memorable locations as the
family hold their wake on the upper floor.

“Anyway, I also went on a course and became accredited by
the National Association of Funeral Directors.”

“Although a bespoke funeral seems to be more favoured now
we still do the standard funeral – after all, everyone’s needs
are different. In response to demand, we introduced a ‘No
Frills Funeral’ a few years ago, too. The main message that I
try to get across to my customers is that the choice is theirs.
I always try to encourage the family to tell me about the
deceased and explore what sort of funeral they would prefer.”
A recent survey that Alan had read suggested that around
60% of people don’t want a religious ceremony, but it can
be hard to find a middle ground, as the other end of the
spectrum – a humanist funeral – is not quite “spiritual”
enough.
www.biznetwales.co.uk

“I didn’t know you could do that,” I say, and Alan smiles and
says, “Anything is possible - well, almost!”

You can contact Alan on 01792 771232 and find out more
about John Edwards Funeral Directors at
www.john-edwards-funerals.co.uk.

#21

The Advantages Of Speaking
Another Language

If you are lucky enough to have been brought up bilingual, as many Welsh nationals are, this will stand you
in good stead throughout your working career, in more ways than you might imagine!
Being bilingual has been proven to have certain cognitive benefits and boosts the performance of the brain.
In fact, bilingualism is a form of brain training – a mental workout that fine-tunes your mind. Studies have
also shown that bilingual people are better able to pay attention than those who only speak one language.
It is estimated that one in eight British companies has lost business due to a lack of language competence.
It is, therefore, understandable that the majority of companies take languages into account when recruiting;
bilinguals are seen as more employable and earn more, on average, than monolinguals. Indeed, linguists
can expect to earn at least 10% more than their monolingual peers.
But what about those of us who haven’t been brought up bilingual? Well, don’t despair, as it’s never too late
to learn a second language and boost your brain power (and earning potential)! Why not make it your New
Year’s Resolution for 2013?
Just bear in mind that in order to make real progress with a foreign language it is vital to put the hours in,
particularly when learning outside of the country where it’s spoken, so make sure you choose a language/
culture that genuinely appeals to you – perhaps you’d like to travel around South America and be able to
converse with locals in Spanish, or do you have a penchant for French cinema but would rather do away
with the English subtitles?
Whatever language or study style you choose, bonne chance!
Business Language Services Ltd provides bespoke language training courses.
Contact us on 02920 667666 or by emailing info@businesslanguageservices.co.uk.

#22

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Doing Your Own Payroll?
You Must Be Ready For RTI!
By Louise Williams - BPU Accountants
What is RTI?
Employers need to be prepared for one of the biggest changes to PAYE since it was introduced in 1944, which
will ensure PAYE keeps pace with modern working patterns. From April 2013 HMRC will be changing the way
employers submit payroll information. All businesses in the UK will have to start making Real Time Information (RTI) submissions to HMRC. RTI records when payments are made to all employees, including employees paid below lower earnings limit, and irregularly paid employees at the time of payment instead of at the
end of each tax year.
How will I manage this?
RTI information will now need to be submitted to HMRC electronically for all payroll data including PAYE, NIC
and student loan contributions – every time that you pay an employee. We are advising all of our clients and
associates to prepare for this change now by verifying employee data held and confirming the following:
•
•
•
•

Full name (including middle name and double-barreled name)
Date of Birth
National Insurance Number
Title

This is important as under the new RTI rules HMRC will be checking employee information against their records every time an employee is paid - if inaccurate information is provided it could result in HMRC compliance checks, incorrect tax calculations or financial penalties for late submissions.
Is your payroll software RTI ready?
Also, you need to ensure that your current payroll software is RTI ready. If you are a SAGE payroll customer
with a valid support contract you will be able to access the new updated RTI ready SAGE payroll software. As
SAGE Accountant Partners, we at BPU can help you upgrade your SAGE software as well as provide training
and support.
Where can I get help?
BPU Chartered Accountants has a dedicated in-house payroll team that will manage all of your payroll needs
and is already set up to ensure that RTI information can be provided accurately to HMRC. We offer a free
initial payroll review to assess your requirements and will provide a no obligation quote for us to run your
payroll and manage this new process going forward.
If you need further information on any of the above including SAGE Payroll software or would like to
book a free payroll review please contact Louise Williams at BPU:
Tel: 029 20734100 or email: louisew@bpuaccountants.co.uk

www.biznetwales.co.uk

#23

DJM Appoint New Associate To
Corporate Team
Douglas-Jones Mercer Solicitors are pleased to announce the arrival of Sheraz Akram who joins the
corporate team as an Associate Solicitor.
Sheraz was previously with a large commercial firm based in Cardiff and joins DJM having previously dealt
with an extensive corporate client base and has experience in a wide array of corporate transactions. During
his career to date he has dealt with numerous acquisitions, MBO’s, investments, share schemes, restructures,
shareholder agreements, partnership agreements, LLP agreements and commercial agreements, and also
has vast experience in dealing with medical and health-care organisations.
During his time as an Associate in Cardiff he has been involved in acquisitions and transactions of up to
£80m in value.
“I am delighted to be joining a firm like DJM that has an excellent standing in the marketplace”, discussed
Sheraz. “I look forward to working with the Corporate team and the Directors, to help develop the department
by concentrating on clients, their needs, and to give them the level of service they expect.”
Mike Snowdon, Head of DJM’s Corporate & Property department, commented, “Sheraz is very businessminded which is essential when dealing with our clients, as they expect a first class service. I am sure that
our clients will benefit from his joining us, due to his level of expertise and knowledge.
Since 1946 Douglas-Jones Mercer has always been a well-regarded law firm, in particular since the rapid
growth of its commercial arm back in the mid 1990’s, as stated by the Legal 500 as a ‘totally trustworthy and
efficient team’.
The firm prides itself on reputation for delivering a quality service at a sensible cost and as such DJM
represents and advises some of the largest and most successful businesses in South West Wales and beyond
with many regional and national clients. DJM make it their business to know their clients’ business.
Over recent years the practice as a whole has undergone a period of significant change, and the commercial
departments in particular have seen considerable growth and have become extremely successful and
profitable.
With over 60 years’ experience the firm has a solid base and continues to build on its own success. The
individuals within DJM are both professional and friendly in their approach, and consequently are confident
that DJM can make a significant positive impact for their commercial clients.

AMI T Y MEDI AT ION
Amity Mediation, led by Joanne Deveney, an accredited mediator and solicitor, provides
mediation services across a diverse spectrum of commercial, civil, employment and family
disputes.
WHY MEDIATE?
Disputes, be they legal, workplace or within one’s family, are damaging, destructive and
stressful. The cost, both financial and emotional, is excessive and can be ruinous. Business
and personal relationships can be rendered irreparable and reputations tarnished. Far
preferable is mediation, which:
• offers the parties an effective, alternative way in which to resolve their disputes in private
• affords the opportunity to explore a range of solutions, which will not necessarily be
available to a court or tribunal
• allows constructive dialogue rather than destructive argument
• is cost effective, being far cheaper than more traditional routes
• ensures that the power remains with the parties rather than with a judge
• is successful in well over 80% of cases
• can be arranged at short notice and matters can be resolved in a matter of hours
HOW DOES MEDIATION WORK?
Mediation can best be defined as a non-adversarial process of dispute resolution, during which
a neutral 3rd party helps the participants to have an open, honest conversation and identify
an outcome which is mutually acceptable. The mediator does not propose solutions, make
judgments or assess culpability or blame. The mediator’s role is to facilitate the participants’
discussion and to assist them in finding creative answers to the matters in dispute. Mediation
provides a fair and balanced atmosphere, creating a base for mutual trust to be restored and
moving at a pace with which the parties are comfortable.
WHY CHOOSE AMITY?
• Joanne Deveney is able to see all sides of any dispute with clarity, however entrenched the
parties’ positions may have become. A confident, calm presence, always fully briefed, not
easily intimidated and able to work optimally in stressful surroundings.
• Extensive legal experience – Having represented large companies, SMEs and individuals
alike as a lawyer, Joanne has breadth and depth of experience, and is able to grasp complex
details quickly and remain neutral while always staying engaged with the matters in hand
• Intuitive listener – Joanne has a knack for picking up on the sub-text of what people say,
honing in on the crucial underlying issues of disputes and bringing them to the surface so
they can be addressed and resolved
• Flexible location and fees – Based in mid-Wales, Joanne can travel to work across the UK,
with fees that may be tailored to each dispute
www.amitymediation.co.uk
tel: 01874 624927
mob: 07539 369000
email: info@amitymediation.co.uk
www.biznetwales.co.uk

#25

C A PI TA L EQUIPMEN T
Capital Equipment Leasing is an independent equipment finance brokerage based in Mumbles,
Swansea. The company was formed approximately 1 year ago by directors Stuart Griffiths and
John Hollis.
Typical items that they have financed include office equipment, furniture, catering equipment,
large printers, vehicles, fork lifts, garage equipment, computers and other IT items.
Says Stuart, ‘In our combined 50 years of experience in this business there are very few types
of equipment we have not funded. Never be afraid to ask, just pick up the phone to one of us
direct, we would be delighted to speak to you. We will quickly establish your needs, talk you
through the process and explain what information we require from you.’
Whether you are a new start or an existing business, finance can be arranged for most items
of equipment starting from £1000, with typical terms from 1– 5 years.
Tel : 01792 365011
Email: stuartgriffiths@celeasing.co.uk

CRE AT I V E AR TS WA L ES
Creative Arts Wales is an Art and Digital Media company based in Nelson. Digital storytelling
forms a large part of the work, being used extensively in community and company projects.
Digital stories are basically short films roughly 1-3 minutes long. They are not advertisements
but real stories told by real people and because of this, they have the power to pull the
viewer in. They get your message across in a way that finds empathy with the viewer and
people remember the stories and relate them to the company.
Stories can also be used as part of a fundraising bid, for project assessment, to relay
interesting facts about the company, or to enhance and promote customer services. The
process part of making stories is also a terrific vehicle for great team building events.
As well as output to DVD, stories can be uploaded to You Tube and websites enabling them to
be shared with a much wider audience, and when embedded in a PowerPoint presentation can
deliver a far more visual impact.
No two stories are the same, just as no two companies are the same, so projects are designed
and delivered to suit each client, making them truly unique.

DOUGL A S JONES MERCER
Since 1946 Douglas-Jones Mercer has always been a well-regarded law firm, in particular since
the rapid growth of its Commercial arm back in the mid 1990’s, being stated by the Legal 500
as a ‘totally trustworthy and efficient team’.
The firm prides itself on a reputation for delivering a quality service at a sensible cost and, as
such, DJM represents and advises some of the largest and most successful businesses in South
West Wales and beyond, with many regional and national clients. DJM make it their business
to know their clients’ business.
With over 60 years’ experience the firm has a solid base, and continues to build on its own
success. The individuals within DJM are both professional and friendly in their approach,
and consequently are confident that DJM can make a significant positive impact for their
commercial clients.

#26

www.biznetwales.co.uk

Fairhill Online are a South Wales based web agency that will help raise your profile online.
Every company is different, and we like to make sure that is reflected in your web presence.
We offer a full range of services including web design and development, search engine
optimisation (SEO) and full e-commerce sites for selling online.
With our new Base product, a template site with Content Management, we give you full
flexibility to update your site. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect for small businesses or for companies who want a
dedicated site to promote a specific product or service.
We also have great experience in online selling. From selling on eBay to full eCommerce
systems, we not only provide you with the tools to sell, we also give you the practical advice
you need to get started.
Call us today on 01443 887832 or email sarah@fairhillonline.co.uk for a free noobligation meeting and see what we can do to help raise your profile online.

THE EXHIBITION TO BE SEEN
AT TAKES PLACE IN MAY 2013.
Will your business be there?

Register your interest for information
on exhibiting or visiting. Click:

bethere@biznetwales.co.uk
Early discounts for stand bookings
Various sponsorships available to suit different budgets
www.biznetwales.co.uk

#29

EXHIBITION

#30

www.biznetwales.co.uk

AWARDS 2012

Photography by www.jenkins-photography.co.uk
www.biznetwales.co.uk

#31

The Handshake is the official magazine of The
Business Network and is published electronically
quarterly. Copies are sent to all Business Network
members and other selected individuals within the
business community.

All enquiries:
www.biznetwales.co.uk
info@biznetwales.co.uk

Issue 16

01639 793580

E-BOOK DESIGN, CREATION
& HOSTING BY

GREAT DESIGN WILL SAVE THE WORLD!
Like what you see? Want to talk about a
future design project?
Contact Gwilym on: hello@hoodoodesign.co.uk
#32